A7r, A7r2 - and why I'm keeping both ...

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks so much for the shots, Kirk. Great to know that I did not make a mistake either. Yet to put my A9 through its paces, been too busy here with a wedding. However, the silent shooting at more than single frame/s is absolutely fantastic. Can't do that with the A7RII.

Will hopefully get some testing done later this week when I get back home. I did order the 100-400 lens but there is no ETA on it yet. I plan to take the Canon version with me on my trip to Namibia.

From your images, it seems that the Sony 70-300 is sharper on the A9 than the A7RII and almost as good if not better than the adapted 80-300 from Nikon. How did the AF go with the Nikon lens? hHat is the one thing that worries me, speed of AF using third party lenses via adapters. On the A7RII it is quite slow esp at the long end.

Many thanks Pradeep. You must be confusing me with someone else. I am not Kirk or Karl. I am Karl-Heinz in short K-H.

Now to your points:

• I agree with you on the silent shutter. Absolutely fantastic indeed! The blinking focus square indicates a shot is taken. Pretty slick.
• A faster more accurate focusing should have its advantages. Your observation might be spot on. :thumbup:
• I consider the Commlite adapter to be of alpha testing nature. As slow on A9 as on A7r.2. One can't depend on that.
• Also one can micro adjust adapted lenses. I didn't do that on Sony cameras.

 

[k-hawinkler]

ILCE-9 + FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS @ 300mm, ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/1000s.

 

[Vivek]

Not sure about the A9 but i am quite sure about buying a 70-300 zoom!

Lovely captures, K-H!

 

[k-hawinkler]

Not sure about the A9 but i am quite sure about buying a 70-300 zoom!

Lovely captures, K-H!

Many thanks Vivek for the feedback. Much appreciated.

Praedeep's observation above that the 70-300 is sharper on the A9 than on the A7r Mark II deserves checking out. I have to say that since using that lens on the A9 it has been growing on me. :thumbs:

 

[Pradeep]

Many thanks Pradeep. You must be confusing me with someone else. I am not Kirk or Karl. I am Karl-Heinz in short K-H.

Now to your points:

• I agree with you on the silent shutter. Absolutely fantastic indeed! The blinking focus square indicates a shot is taken. Pretty slick.
• A faster more accurate focusing should have its advantages. Your observation might be spot on. :thumbup:
• I consider the Commlite adapter to be of alpha testing nature. As slow on A9 as on A7r.2. One can't depend on that.
• Also one can micro adjust adapted lenses. I didn't do that on Sony cameras.

Oops, my bad, K-H. Haven't been here in a while I guess

I have used the Canon system extensively over the years, adding the Sony as a side-show when the Nex-5 first came out. Been waiting a long time for the kind of AF capability especially for moving subjects that the Canon 1 series have had. I don't do much BIF but for animals in the wild where you may only get a second or two to actually frame, focus and shoot, rock solid AF is critical.

The problem of course now is of lenses or lack thereof. I have tried the various Canon lenses on my A7rII with the Metabones IV adapter and it has been accurate though slow. Bit disappointing that the Commite didn't do any better with the A9, will be testing my version this week. Funny, but I have almost never had to micro-adjust my lenses at all.

Can't wait for the Sony 100-400. My Canon version is very sharp and I have never seen a zoom do that well at the long end. I do miss the f4 sometimes if the animal is in front of a busy background but overall the weight and ease of use is so much better that it is quite acceptable.

Love your hummingbird shots, sadly there is only one species here in NY and even that is almost impossible to find in my area. I had to take a special trip to Ecuador for these beauties.

 

[k-hawinkler]

Here are 2 un-cropped 6000x4000 images, but reduced in size.

The first one was shot yesterday in bright Sunshine.

ILCE-9 + FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS @ 300mm, ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/1600s, displayed at half linear resolution.

Today it was either too windy or the Sun was hiding behind clouds. So, this next image was shot @ ISO 25,600 and again displayed at half linear resolution

Quoting Robert Capa: “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” Obviously I took his advice and moved in a tad closer with my Sony A9. :grin:

 

[k-hawinkler]

BTW the last image with ISO 25,600 was shot with extension tubes to get well within the Minimum Focus Distance (MFD) of 2.95′ (90 cm). HIF with extension tubes - that's the ticket! :loco:

 

[Vivek]

K-H, What is "HIF"?

BTW, do not forget what happened to Capa! :lecture: He got too close and got blown up!

 

[k-hawinkler]

K-H, What is "HIF"?

BTW, do not forget what happened to Capa! :lecture: He got too close and got blown up!

HIF = Hummingbird in Flight :grin: Patterned after BIF = Bird in Flight! :facesmack:

Vivek, thanks for the reminder about Capa. :banghead:
I'll think of that when the Hummers buzz by my face, mere inches away. :loco:
Luckily I have the camera in front of my face to protect my eyes. :thumbup:

This Hummer knocked himself unconscious by flying into a window.
My wife picked him up and he recovered pretty fast and took off right after I shot this image.

E-M5 + Nocticron 42.5/1.2

 

[Pradeep]

K-H, super sharp images, thanks for sharing. The 70-300 seems to be a very capable performer.

How do you convert the A9 RAWs? My LR does not recognize them as yet?

Meanwhile, I have been playing a little with the A9 and the Canon 100-400L MkII lens with the metabones IV adapter. Much faster AF. Will post in more detail on the main A9 thread.

 

[iiiNelson]

K-H, super sharp images, thanks for sharing. The 70-300 seems to be a very capable performer.

How do you convert the A9 RAWs? My LR does not recognize them as yet?

Meanwhile, I have been playing a little with the A9 and the Canon 100-400L MkII lens with the metabones IV adapter. Much faster AF. Will post in more detail on the main A9 thread.

You can convert in C1 Express or Pro for Sony... or the full version.

 

[Pradeep]

You can convert in C1 Express or Pro for Sony... or the full version.

Thanks Tre.

I did have the full version of C1 a while ago when I was still using the Phase system. I know it is very popular, but I found it non-intuitive compared to Aperture or even LR. Gave up on it.

Using jpgs now for comparison while waiting for an update to LR. Sharpness should not suffer as a result.

The AF is truly advanced, can't wait to check it out with fast-moving subjects. The silent shutter and high frame rate is cool although I admit it is overkill for routine photography. Before you realize it you've shot off dozens of images of family just sitting around

Thankfully it is adjustable to fast, medium, slow and single shot.

 

[iiiNelson]

Thanks Tre.

I did have the full version of C1 a while ago when I was still using the Phase system. I know it is very popular, but I found it non-intuitive compared to Aperture or even LR. Gave up on it.

Using jpgs now for comparison while waiting for an update to LR. Sharpness should not suffer as a result.

The AF is truly advanced, can't wait to check it out with fast-moving subjects. The silent shutter and high frame rate is cool although I admit it is overkill for routine photography. Before you realize it you've shot off dozens of images of family just sitting around

Thankfully it is adjustable to fast, medium, slow and single shot.

Believe me I understand. Just was suggesting the "free" option until Adobe CC kicks in the update for you. It took about 2 days for the update to be available to me last week and restarting my laptop may have helped the update to be "pushed" possibly. No idea in reality though.

I didn't truly begin to get along with C1 until version 8 though I began with version 4. I skipped 5 and 6 altogether and tried 7 which was so buggy when it actually opened that I gave up on it. Essentially I got version 8 for free and that's when I believe the usability and stability improved enough for me to get another run at it. I prefer it for many things like native tethering option, nice quick conversions, and the ability to read/convert/process IR files without requiring Photoshop round trips with careful planning.

That being said i atill keep a copy of Adobe CC Photography bundle running because I like having photoshop when needed. I can get my conversions to look really similar in LR to C1... and I can exceed what C1 can do using external plugins to enhance some of LR's shortcomings. I started on LR with version 2 but I switched to Aperture before LR3 was released until it was apparent they weren't going to further develop it. I like DXO Optics as well and fell they have the absolute best (and probably most complex) lens optimizations. Version 9 and higher saw huge performance increases in speed which makes DXO a more usable now as well. Their camera/lens support tends to be slower and tied to their camera/lens reviews.

 

[k-hawinkler]

K-H, super sharp images, thanks for sharing. The 70-300 seems to be a very capable performer.

How do you convert the A9 RAWs? My LR does not recognize them as yet?

Meanwhile, I have been playing a little with the A9 and the Canon 100-400L MkII lens with the metabones IV adapter. Much faster AF. Will post in more detail on the main A9 thread.

Thanks Pradeep, much appreciated. I am using the full version of Capture One Pro. They seem to have a special arrangement with Sony, and as Tre points out they also have a Sony only version. Years ago I switched from LR / PS as I could get better looking images with C1Pro. That statement is more a reflection of my abilities or lack there off than off LR or PS. Together with C1Pro I use PS CS6 and Nik. Those apps are well integrated at the moment. We'll see how long that lasts with Google stopping work on Nik.

I don't own any Canon gear, so cannot comment on that.
Since using the FE 70-300 on the A9 that lens has grown on me.
I now like it a lot.
It produces great images and balances well on A9 with battery grip.
The battery grip seems very well designed and fits nicely.

After having used the no blackout A9 for several days and getting used to it I am now much more aware of the blackout feature of other cameras. The no blackout feature is indeed a tremendous improvement.

 

[Vivek]

SAR reports, choosing COVFEFE in the menu solving issues:

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/good...ct-small-bunch-cameras-probably-faulty-units/

:ROTFL:

 

[iiiNelson]

SAR reports, choosing COVFEFE in the menu solving issues:

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/good...ct-small-bunch-cameras-probably-faulty-units/

:ROTFL:

Pretty sure it's not a real thing...

 

[Pradeep]

Believe me I understand. Just was suggesting the "free" option until Adobe CC kicks in the update for you. It took about 2 days for the update to be available to me last week and restarting my laptop may have helped the update to be "pushed" possibly. No idea in reality though.

I didn't truly begin to get along with C1 until version 8 though I began with version 4. I skipped 5 and 6 altogether and tried 7 which was so buggy when it actually opened that I gave up on it. Essentially I got version 8 for free and that's when I believe the usability and stability improved enough for me to get another run at it. I prefer it for many things like native tethering option, nice quick conversions, and the ability to read/convert/process IR files without requiring Photoshop round trips with careful planning.

That being said i atill keep a copy of Adobe CC Photography bundle running because I like having photoshop when needed. I can get my conversions to look really similar in LR to C1... and I can exceed what C1 can do using external plugins to enhance some of LR's shortcomings. I started on LR with version 2 but I switched to Aperture before LR3 was released until it was apparent they weren't going to further develop it. I like DXO Optics as well and fell they have the absolute best (and probably most complex) lens optimizations. Version 9 and higher saw huge performance increases in speed which makes DXO a more usable now as well. Their camera/lens support tends to be slower and tied to their camera/lens reviews.

I guess we've all been through various iterations of the umpteen RAW converters that have come and gone. I too used DXO and then gave up.

If you add all the third party filters the mix becomes truly heady. I think the problem is that there is always the temptation to try something new something different and then you realize it does a couple of things better than the one you are used to and you wish your current favorite had that feature and you wait for its next update. The cycle goes on.

Currently I stick with LR for most of the work, roundtrip to PS for difficult cloning/cleaning and use MacPhun for filter effects such as B&W. I like how you can add a hint of color or use dual-toning with Tonality Pro. For me the database capability of LR is very much the key, an area where I found others fell short.

In the end, it's probably best to stick with what one is comfortable with. Since I don't do any tethering and am not a professional, as long as my pictures look good to me I am happy. My final criterion is the printed image and I think the print engine has a lot to do with it. I know we've discussed this many times, but for me, QImage works like a charm.

 

[Pradeep]

Thanks Pradeep, much appreciated. I am using the full version of Capture One Pro. They seem to have a special arrangement with Sony, and as Tre points out they also have a Sony only version. Years ago I switched from LR / PS as I could get better looking images with C1Pro. That statement is more a reflection of my abilities or lack there off than off LR or PS. Together with C1Pro I use PS CS6 and Nik. Those apps are well integrated at the moment. We'll see how long that lasts with Google stopping work on Nik.

I don't own any Canon gear, so cannot comment on that.
Since using the FE 70-300 on the A9 that lens has grown on me.
I now like it a lot.
It produces great images and balances well on A9 with battery grip.
The battery grip seems very well designed and fits nicely.

After having used the no blackout A9 for several days and getting used to it I am now much more aware of the blackout feature of other cameras. The no blackout feature is indeed a tremendous improvement.

K-H, I find battery grips do allow a better balance but at least the ones from Canon introduce a wobble and slight 'play' at the base which makes it somewhat unsteady for use on a tripod. The new battery on the A9 is also said to have much larger capacity (over 2000 shots) which means less worries about battery life.

I haven't had that much time with the new camera but I am sure I will like the absence of blackout.

The only thing that is still annoying (how spoilt we are) is the slight delay while the file is being written to the card. I bought the UHS -II 2000X cards from Lexar and even with these you do have to wait a few seconds before being able to change settings (aperture or shutter) on the camera. Not a significant delay but if you are taking shots in quick succession and changing the settings in between it is not possible to press shutter release and then immediately change aperture for the next shot. You can take as many shots quickly as you like but cannot change anything in between, it maybe that the camera does not allow it until the buffer is completely empty.

 

[k-hawinkler]

K-H, I find battery grips do allow a better balance but at least the ones from Canon introduce a wobble and slight 'play' at the base which makes it somewhat unsteady for use on a tripod. The new battery on the A9 is also said to have much larger capacity (over 2000 shots) which means less worries about battery life.

No wobble I can detect. This grip is much better designed than usual. You have to judge for yourself. :thumbup:

I haven't had that much time with the new camera but I am sure I will like the absence of blackout.

Yup, its tough to go back to a camera with blackout! :facesmack:

The only thing that is still annoying (how spoilt we are) is the slight delay while the file is being written to the card. I bought the UHS -II 2000X cards from Lexar and even with these you do have to wait a few seconds before being able to change settings (aperture or shutter) on the camera. Not a significant delay but if you are taking shots in quick succession and changing the settings in between it is not possible to press shutter release and then immediately change aperture for the next shot. You can take as many shots quickly as you like but cannot change anything in between, it maybe that the camera does not allow it until the buffer is completely empty.

Corrrect. I suspect there is a lower shutter rate for which the 2000x Lexar card can keep up with image generation. :watch:
There is on my E-M1.2. :clap:

 

[Vivek]

Pretty sure it's not a real thing...

It is becoming a make belief world, close to Sony's slogan of "Make, Believe".